Apr 22, 2009

Password protected a shared folder Windows XP

If you want to password protect shared folders on your network, you may notice that Windows XP does not have any built in feature that allows you to lock the access to the folder through the Windows password as previous releases did. This means that anyone with the same workgroup or domain can access your shared files folder.

The good news is that there is way that seems to do the trick, and only involves making a password for the guest account. Since access to shared folders on the network using a guest account, the password for the guest account is set, users in the network workgroup or domain must include a valid username and password for access to the guests together in the folder and contents.

Password protecting a shared network folder:

Log into Windows XP as an Administrator

Click Start -> Control Panel -> User Accounts, then click on Guest Account and make sure it is turned on

Notice that you can now set a password on the Guest Account. Set a Password and restart your Computer

Now, when a person tires to access your shared folder, they will be prompted for a username and password to continue. Use the username "Guest" and "password" you have set to access the password protected shared folders from your network.